The dirigible airship, the oddball aircraft of another era, is making a comeback. California-based Aeros Corporation
has created a prototype of its new breed of variable buoyancy aircraft
and expects the vehicle to be finished before the end of 2012. With its
new cargo handling technology, minimum fuel consumption, vertical
take-off and landing features and point to point delivery, the
Aeroscraft platform promises to revolutionize airship technology.

The Aeroscraft ship uses a suite of new mechanical and aerospace
technologies. It operates off a buoyancy management system which
controls and adjusts the buoyancy of the vehicle, making it light or
heavy for any stages of ground and flight operation. Automatic flight
control systems give it equilibrium in all flight modes and allow it to
adjust helium pressurized envelopes depending on the buoyancy
requirements. It just needs one pilot and has an internal ballast
control system, which allows it to offload cargo, without using ballast.
Built with a rigid structure, the Aeroscraft can control lift at all
stages with its Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) capabilities and
carry maximum payload while in hover. What makes it different from other
vehicles is that it does not need a runway or ground infrastructure.